Lamenting that injustice has been done to Andhra Pradesh in the railway budget yet again, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today lashed out at the Congress for increasing reservation fees, freight charges and levying fuel adjustment surcharge. “Despite having over 30 Congress MPs and also the Minister of State for Railways from the state, AP has got little in the 2013-14 Railway Budget,” TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu said.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has sanctioned a financial assistance of Rs five lakh for the family of a man killed in Hyderabad serial blasts recently. Chogaram, who belonged to Jalore district in Rajasthan, worked at a roadside tea stall in Hyderabad. He was killed in the blasts. The money was given from the Chief Minister’s relief fund, an official release said. Sixteen people were killed and over 100 injured when two bombs placed on bicycles went off within minutes of each other at Dilsukhnagar area in Hyderabad on February 21. PTI
Expressing concern over the security situation in Afghanistan, a senior diplomat today warned the Western countries that the transition process “must not sacrifice the gains of the last decade”. “Security situation in Afghanistan continues to be disturbing, the Taliban’s capacity to carry out attacks is evident. Its well-coordinated attacks against US-NATO forces and targeted assassinations of security officials is a disturbing trend,” Special Envoy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Satinder K Lambah said.
Parliament today passed a bill under which cases of sexual harassment at workplace, including against domestic help, will have to be disposed of by in-house committees within a period of 90 days failing which penalty of Rs 50,000 would be imposed. Repeated non-compliance of the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, can lead to higher penalties and even cancellation of licence or registration to conduct business.
The Bombay High Court has acquitted a city resident from charges of murdering his wife nine years ago, giving him the benefit of doubt. The court also discarded the testimony given by the couple’s minor daughter, the only eye-witness in the case, saying that her father had killed mother. A bench headed by Justice V K Tahilramani observed on February 20 that the prosecution had failed to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt and therefore the appeal of the husband, Mariappa Mukkappa, deserved to be allowed.
A social activist today approached the Lokayukta Court here for police protection, alleging he was facing life threats from the henchmen of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa against whom he has filed a private complaint accusing him of illegal land denotification. Hunsur K Chandrashekar, also founder President of Praja Kranthi Party, in his application claimed that he received the threats over telephone and appealed to the court to provide him police protection. Lokayukta court judge N K Sudhindra Rao posted the application to March 6 for further hearing.
A new-born baby body was found in a goods train stationed at the Old Railway station here this morning, police said. The RPF team rushed to child to district hospital, where the doctors declared his condition as stable, they said. According to hospital staff, the child has been kept under medical supervision. Efforts are on to trace the parents of the child, police said. PTI
A 25-year-old security guard allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan at his residence at Khoda area here, police said today. Sudhir Kumar hanged himself to death last night when he was alone at his Sadhba Enclave Colony residence at Khoda, Indirapuram Police Station In-charge Gorakhnath Yadav said. When the family members returned they had to break the main door of the house to enter inside, he said adding, a suicide note was recovered from Kumar’s room.
A rape victim attempted suicide at the Gujarat High Court here today, alleging “delay in justice”. The 26-year-old woman tried to take the extreme step by consuming poison inside the court room of Justice Ashish Desai after today’s proceedings were adjourned as the accused’s lawyer was on sick leave. However, Sola police personnel said that it is still unclear as to why she took the step. The victim is unconscious and the cause behind her extreme step is yet to be ascertained, Sola police sub-inspector K M Damor said.
No arrests have yet been made in yesterday’s BMW hit-and-run case, in which a 25-year-old student was killed, while his friend sustained critical injuries, police said today. The BMW, which was being driven at a breakneck speed, had rammed into two persons on a motorcycle, flinging them off the two-wheeler last night in the Judges Bungalow area, police said. Efforts were on to trace the driver of the four-wheeler, who escaped from the spot, they added. “Forensic experts have visited the accident site and taken vital clues for investigation.
Former Kadapa Mayor P Ravindranatha Reddy, wanted by the police in a forgery and cheating case, today surrendered before a court here. Ravindranatha Reddy, brother-in-law of former Chief Minister late Y S Rajashekar Reddy, surrendered before First Additional Judicial Magistrate, who sent him in judicial remand for 14 days. The police had on January 17 registered a criminal case against the former Mayor for allegedly using a fake seal and forging signature of cooperative officers.
Unknown miscreants hurled a crude bomb outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner cum Returning Officer of Phek district, where sealed EVMs were stored in a strong room for counting of polls on Thursday. Phek Superintendent of Police Deepali R Masirkar told PTI that the crude bomb was hurled from the main road towards the DC’s office at Phek but the blast did not cause any damage. She said the strong-room where the EVMs from five constituencies were stored was safe as the bomb was hurled on the opposite end.
The village chief of Ichri Gram Panchayat in Bhojpur district of the state was today shot dead by unidentified assailants tonight, police said. Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Jagdishpur, Anjani Kumar said the motorcycle-borne gang waylaid the ‘Mukhiya’ who was returning home and shot at him killing the village headman on the spot. The deceased, witness to a cast massacre incident in the district in the past, was heading the Bhojpur district unit of Akhil Bhartiye Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh. The SDPO said the body has been sent for post-mortem. PTI
Sri Lanka today dismissed as “fabricated lies”, a report by a leading rights group alleging that its military used rape and other forms of sexual violence to torture suspected Tamil rebels since the end of the island’s civil war in 2009. The 141-page report by New York-based Human Rights Watch titled “We will teach you a lesson” has provided details of 75 cases of alleged rape and sexual abuse by Sri Lankan troops during the final military battle with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Two police officials and four others were injured when an agitated mob resorted to stone pelting over a marriage between a couple from different communities in the Miraichi town near here, police said today. Gulzar, who was into a relationship with Meena, married her two days ago. However, the girl’s family members were against the marriage as they claimed her to be a minor, SSP Ajay Mohan Sharma said. The incident took place yesterday when her agitated relatives pelted stones at the house of one of the boy’s relative, alleging that she helped the couple to get married.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday termed the Railway Budget as “anti-development” and said that it reflects the “non-performance of the UPA government”. “The Centre’s railway budget is anti-development and showcases the non-performance of the government. It will increase the burden of rising prices on the common people,” Modi tweeted.
Muthi-ur-Rahman Siddiqui and Mohammed Yousuf Nalband, the two terror suspects who were acquitted by the National Investigation Agency Special Court, were released from Parappana Agrahara central prisons here on Monday night.
Siddiqui and Nalband were among 12 alleged LeT terror suspects arrested from Bangalore and Hubli last year for plotting to kill a few prominent personalities.
Rahul Gandhi’s order comes in the wake of a report submitted by central observers of the Congress, led by General Secretary Madhusudan Mistry last month, to the party high command. (File/PTI)
After taking over as vice president of the party, Rahul Gandhi, in one of his first orders to Maharashtra Congress, has debarred candidates who have lost two consecutive polls from getting a third opportunity.
With no deal in sight on mandated across-the-board forced spending cuts, President Barack Obama painted a grim picture only to be accused by Republicans, led by two Indian-American governors, of scaremongering.
“While you are in town, I hope that you speak with your congressional delegation and remind them in no uncertain terms exactly what is at stake and exactly who is at risk,” Obama Monday told state governors gathered in Washington.
“Because here’s the thing. These cuts do not have to happen. Congress can turn them off any time with just a little bit of compromise.”
Two children were runover by a speeding train while crossing the tracks at Gulabganj railway station near here today, triggering violent protests and arson in which a railway employee was burnt alive and another was battling for life with serious injuries.
Siblings Mohammad Ali (5) and his eight-year-old sister Icra were crushed to death by a speeding Sampark Kranti Express at Gulabganj station, about 20 km from here, when they were crossing the tracks in the absence of a foot overbridge from under a stationary goods train, railway sources said.
(Pervez Bari): The Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), has vehemently condemned the investigating agencies probing the recent Hyderabad bomb blasts, wherein 16 people were reported to have been killed, for targetting only the Muslim youths, especially those who were exonerated as they were found innocent about their involvement in May 2007 Makkah Masjid blast.
A teacher of a reputed English medium school in Baner was arrested for allegedly molesting at least 22 girl students of the fifth standards for two months.
Chatushringi police station sources said today that the teacher Pradeep Balwant Gothoskar (50) of Orchid School in Baner was arrested under Sections 8 and 9 (F) 10 of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act after the victims’ parents filed a complaint against the accused.
In January, Don Bosco School vice-president Iju Francis Falkau (50) was arrested on the charge of molesting a minor girl student at Yerwada.
—PTI
Railway passenger associations in Mumbai expressed anger and disappointment at the rail budget presented in parliament Tuesday.
“They are not doing us a favour by not increasing fares as they already did it in January. They anyway increased reservation, cancellation and ‘tatkal’ charges. Also, promises of more trains seems vague,” said Shailendra Garg, president, Western Railway Passenger Traffic and Relief Association.
Madhu Kotian, president, Mumbai Railway Pravasi Sangh, said the budget was not only disappointing but also useless for the millions of suburban train commuters.
The Supreme Court was Tuesday told that no structure called Akbarabadi Mosque existed at any point in time in Subhash Park near the historic Jama Masjid here and it was only the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) which could undertake any work at the site.
“There is no evidence of the existence of Akbarabdi Mosque,” amicus curiae Ram Jethmalani told a bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice Anil R. Dave and Justice Vikramajit Sen.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth Rs 4.5 crore of a former Bishop in Coimbatore for allegedly defrauding a charitable trust last year.
The ED attached a property in Salem district in the name of the wife of former CSI Bishop of Coimbatore Manickam Dorai.
It also issued similar orders against two separate lands of his brother M Moorthy under the provisions of money laundering laws.
The Crime Branch of state police had registered a case against Dorai and Moorthy for “misappropriation of Diocese